


Nice

by words_reign_here



Category: Supernatural, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Based on a Tumblr Post, F/M, M/M, completely self indulgent, i can't finish anything so i decided to write this, i just need to finish something, mostly happy stuff, zero angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 09:56:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11400201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/words_reign_here/pseuds/words_reign_here
Summary: "Poor alpha werewolf." Stiles said and offered him a beer when he reentered the living room. "Defeated by a bookshelf when dozens of other creatures couldn't do the job." He leaned over and kissed Derek's forehead and pressed the beer into his hand.





	Nice

**Author's Note:**

> I can't finish anything. Is this writer's block? I don't know, man. Anyway, I found this [post](http://noahvirginfoster.tumblr.com/post/159758076295/imagine-otp-duskenpath-fanaticalqueergeek) and decided to run with it and see if I could finish it. I did. Thanks guys.

"This is good. I like it." Stiles declared when he dropped the last of the moving boxes into the living room.

"Well, you better like it. We just decided to spend the next thirty years paying this bad boy off." Derek replied from where he sat on the floor, glaring at the pieces of what was supposed to be a bookcase but was now just piles of wood. "If I went and got the fucking wood from Home Depot and built this from hand, it would be easier than these directions." He huffed and flapped the booklet at Stiles.

"Did you try it in Spanish? Sometimes you like it better in Spanish." Stiles said and ran his hand through Derek's longish hair as he walked past and into the kitchen.

"This isn't sex, Stiles!" Derek called into the kitchen. Then Stiles heard him grumble, "I read it Spanish and Japanese and it still doesn't make sense."

"Poor alpha werewolf." Stiles said and offered him a beer when he reentered the living room. "Defeated by a bookshelf when dozens of other creatures couldn't do the job." He leaned over and kissed Derek's forehead and pressed the beer into his hand.

Derek huffed again and returned to the directions. Stiles could see the tension bleed from his shoulders though, so he counted it as a win. "Did you see what I did with that other screw I just had?" He muttered and swept his palm along the floor.

"You know," Stiles began casually, "You could just get an e-reader and not have to deal with bookshelves. At all."

"Heathen." Derek hissed.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Stiles said and sat down. As soon as his ass met the ground next to Derek, there was a knock at the door. Derek snapped his teeth at Stiles which he had learned to mean that Stiles needed to do whatever it was that needed doing.

Stiles sighed and stood up, using Derek to push off of. Derek didn't even move.

Stiles opened the door and blinked. He was kind of expecting Scott or Erica, maybe even Isaac, but two unfamiliar men stood on the doorstep, smiling politely.

"Hello." The one with bright blue eyes said.

"Hi." Stiles said.

"We're just from next door. We saw you guys moving in and just wanted to come over and give you a warm neighborly welcome." The other guy said.

Stiles tried not to appreciate the cut of the guy's jaw or his green eyes or easy smile.

He failed.

What could he say? Have you seen Derek? Stiles had _taste_.

"I'm Dean, this is Castiel." He said and stuck out his hand. Stiles noted the calluses that came from a bunch of hard work, probably. "We are just over the nice fence, yonder." Dean nodded.

Stiles heard Derek gather himself up from the floor and watched Dean's eyes narrow just a bit when he saw the easy grace that Derek never could quite hide.

"I'm Stiles. That's Derek." He said and gestured with his free hand. Then he noticed he was still holding Dean's and pulled away.

"Nice to meet you." Derek said and gave them that blinding smile he usually only reserved when he was pretending to flirt. "Would you like to come in? It's not much, but Stiles was good enough to put the beer in the fridge this morning."

"We wouldn't want to intrude. Not on your first night." Castiel demurred.

"No, please." Derek said. "I'll get to get away from that goddamn bookshelf for a few minutes. You'll be doing me a favor."

Dean and Castiel exchanged a look and shrugged. "Sure." Dean finally said.

"You know what? I will be right back." Castiel said and squeezed Dean's shoulder before turning and going back towards their own house. Derek gestured for Dean to come in and Stiles watched the runes that he had painted into the door frame, just in case.

Nothing happened.

Human.

Probably.

"Bookshelf, huh?" Dean said, approaching the pile of wood and frowning at it. "You could probably go to Home Depot and get the wood and build it yourself for less heartache."

Derek gestured at Stiles.

"You deal with Scott's puppy dog eyes when he sees you haven't put the bookshelf together that he bought you." Stiles said.

There was a polite knock at the door and Stiles turned and gestured for Castiel to come in. He noticed faintly the smell of ozone in the air when Cas came through the door, but the runes didn't set anything off. If Castiel was not as human as he appeared, he didn't have any ill intent towards them.

He was carrying a baking pan covered tightly with aluminum foil and Stiles showed him where the kitchen was. When he unwrapped the dish in the kitchen, Stiles thought he was going to faint just from the smell of it.

"Is that lasagna?" Derek asked, eyeing the dish. Stiles knew he could probably eat the whole pan himself.

"Yes. Dean's recipe." Cas said and Stiles took out the four clean plates and forks they had. He had to dig for a spatula. They all had to stand around the kitchen island to eat but Stiles swore it was the best thing he had ever eaten.

"So where do you two come from?" Dean asked.

"Beacon Hills. Couple hours south." Derek said.

Dean nodded. "Think I've driven through there."

"What about you guys?" Stiles asked and eyed the lasagna. Cas served him another piece.

"Lebanon, Kansas." Castiel said.

"Never heard of it." Stiles said.

"You and most of the planet." Dean said and chuckled. "It's a little place."

"What brought you here?" Derek asked. He hadn't missed the ozone smell and the faint signs of the runes ringing that something wasn't entirely human about Castiel.

"Cas is rich. Wanted to live by the sea." Dean said and shrugged. "What brought you two out to the bustling metropolis that is Carmel?"

Stiles smirked and shook his head. The population was, max, four thousand people.

"Stiles is a writer and also rich. He wanted to live by the sea." Derek gestured to the house around them. "So here we are."

"It's a hard life." Dean said seriously.

"Someone has to put the bookshelves together." Derek replied, equally serious.

They laughed and spent another hour or so talking idly before Castiel excused him and Dean. There was a vague promise to get together soon, to show Stiles and Derek around, words that didn't actually mean anything, and then they were gone, across the fence into their own little bungalow.

"They were nice." Stiles murmured into Derek's chest later that night.

"Mm." Derek said and rubbed Stiles' back, a surefire way to get him to shut up and go to sleep.

"We have to pay them back for the lasagna, Der." Stiles whispered as sleep tugged at the edge of his consciousness.

"Shhh." Derek whispered.

***

"What the fuck." Stiles said, two days later, as he stared at his garbage cans. The garbage itself was strewn across the street, the cans upturned, the lids busted.

"Raccoons." Castiel said from his lawn. Stiles blinked and turned to him. He stood in an AC/DC shirt, jeans, and black boots. He was watering his garden. "They destroyed our garbage cans more times than I care to count."

"How did you fix it?" Stiles asked and joined Castiel near the fence.

"Here." Cas said and shoved the hose into Stiles' hands. He disappeared into his garage and a moment later came back, a box in hand. "Raccoon proof garbage bags. They are supposed to keep away other vermin, but the raccoons were all we cared about." He traded Stiles the box for the hose. Stiles studied the box for a moment and nodded.

"Where did you get it?"

"Online." Cas said easily. "I didn't want them dead even though Dean threatened to find a sniper position if he found the cans tossed over once more. The smell of the bags deters the raccoons."

Stiles nodded and tried to hand the box back. Cas waved him off. "Keep it. I believe we should have bought stock in the company with how many of those boxes Dean bought."

"Are you sure?" Stiles asked.

Cas smiled and Stiles couldn't help but smile back.

"Of course I'm sure. We're neighbors, after all."

***

"I don't think they are human." Stiles said that night over dinner.

Derek was working on his fourth piece of chicken when he met Stiles' eyes across the table.

"Ok. They are mostly human." Stiles amended as Derek continued to chew. "But no one is that _nice_."

"Just because they haven't tried to chew off your face doesn't mean they aren't human. People can just be nice." Derek said.

"I don't believe it." Stiles huffed. He bit into his own chicken and glared at it. "This is really good, babe." He said, sounding insulted. "I thought I grabbed us napkins."

"Thanks?" Derek said.

"Can I call Laura?" Stiles finally asked.

"If I told you no, would that stop you?"

"No."

Derek sighed.

***

The backyard was a mess. If Derek didn't know better, he would think that it was the wildlife that was possessed and not his neighbors. Stiles was driving down to Beacon Hills to pick up Laura and Cora for an overnight trip and Derek wanted to make the backyard look a little decent before they arrived.

He wanted to do a cookout in the hopes of luring Castiel and Dean out to meet his sisters. If all else failed, Stiles would be sent over with a last minute invitation. Laura had agreed to meet them and Cora had said that she and Isaac were due a visit anyway.

"Does the glaring thing work?" Dean asked and Derek startled.

He spun around to see Dean on his own porch, a cup of coffee in hand.

"What?" Derek asked.

"The glaring. Does it help you to get ready to do some angry cleaning?" Dean asked casually.

"Sometimes." Derek admitted. He rubbed his face and shook his head. "We had a loft in Beacon Hills. No outdoor space. I need to go get-" Derek looked around. "Everything." He muttered.

"Why don't you send Stiles and get started on what you got there?" Dean suggested.

"My sisters called last night and begged to come see us. But then my sister's car crapped out this morning so Stiles went to go get them. I'm alone on this job." Derek said.

Dean looked at the mess that was Derek's backyard and winced. "Nah. I'll help. Once Cas gets his lazy ass up he'll help too."

"No, I couldn't ask you-" Derek started.

"Are either one of your sisters single?" Dean interrupted.

Derek's mind blanked. "I thought you and Cas-?"

"Oh!" Dean laughed. "We are. We very much are. But I have a super awkward brother that I like to set up with women that are way out of his league. If your looks are genetic-" Dean shrugged.

Derek didn't know what to do with that compliment so he decided to ignore it. "Yeah. I mean- Uh, Laura is. Cora is dating our other friend Isaac."

"Then that's how you pay me back. Help me mock my little brother and we'll call it even." Dean grinned and Derek ached with how much he saw the need to torture a younger sibling.

"You're on. Let me call Laura and let her know."

"You're a good man, Hale."

***

Between Derek, Cas, and Dean, the backyard looked like something out of a magazine by the time Laura, Cora, Isaac, and Stiles showed up.

"Wow, babe." Stiles said and drifted over to where Derek was standing at the kitchen sink, washing his hands. He kissed Derek's sweaty forehead. "This looks amazing. How much do I owe you?"

"Sexual favors for a week." Derek glanced around. "Two weeks." He amended.

"Done." Stiles said and Laura and Cora swept into the house. Isaac had been relegated into bringing in their bags.

"This looks good." Cora said and nodded. "Is that them?" She whispered and nodded at Dean and Cas. Derek nodded and Cora left the kitchen and went out into the backyard. She approached Dean and Cas with a bright smile and her hand extended. "Hi, I'm Cora." She said easily.

"Nice to meet you." Dean said and winced when he offered her his hand. She insisted on shaking anyway.

"Same." Cora said to Castiel who gave her an equally bright smile. "So you guys are the heaven sent neighbors, huh?" She asked.

Dean choked on his beer and Castiel laughed for some reason.

"I wouldn't- I wouldn't say that." Dean said and glared at Cas who was still laughing at some private joke.

"I would." Cas said.

"How do I look?" Laura asked Derek and took his hand, made him twirl her around in a circle.

She looked, well, devastating. She had on a white crochet tank top and rust orange skirt that drifted along the tops of her feet with slits up to her midthighs. Her tan was flawless, her hair looked like it was was carelessly thrown up into a messy bun, and her lips were as red as blood.

"Ok." Derek shrugged. "I guess."

She punched him.

"Ow." Derek said. "I don't know, he's not my brother you're torturing. Let me introduce you."

"Rude." She muttered.

Derek laughed and gave her his arm. She looped her hand through his and Derek took her out into the backyard to Cas and Dean who were now chatting amicably with Isaac about the drive.

"Oh, sweet Jesus." Dean said, interrupting himself when he caught sight of Derek and Laura making their way out of the house and into the backyard where everyone was now.

"Dean, Cas, this is my twin sister, Laura. Laura, meet our way too nice neighbors, Cas and Dean."

Laura smiled sweetly at them and Derek had to roll his eyes at the act. "It's nice to meet you." She said and extended her hand.

Derek noted the manicure. She had pulled out all the stops.

"It's very nice to meet you too." Castiel said when Dean could only blink from Derek to Laura and back again.

"Are you going to eat my brother alive?" Dean asked.

Laura laughed at that, genuine and carefree. "If he's lucky."

***

_"Dean, I don't need you setting me up on dates. I'm fine."_

_"Sure, Sam. Ok. But I'm serious. It started out as a joke to make you uncomfortable, but really. I just- I mean. I'm married and I forgot my own name."_

_"Does Cas know that?"_

_"Cas was there. Now come on. Everyone is waiting in the backyard to eat."_

_"Jesus."_

Derek, Cora, Laura, and Isaac exchanged a glance and Cora suddenly switched spots with Laura, so that Laura was framed by the setting sun, basically providing a halo for her. Isaac leaned forward and pulled a tendril of hair forward and Derek put a hand to her lower back, to remind her to stand up straight. Cas put a glass of red wine in her hand.

"I feel like I'm being pimped out."

"You'll like Sam." Cas murmured.

"How do you know?" Laura whispered.

"Because it's impossible to hate Sam Winchester. Unless you're some kind of monster or demon." Cas replied.

Laura's heart ratcheted up a notch and Derek met her eyes. He shook his head minutely and felt Stiles squeeze his hand.

Dean and Sam rounded the corner just then and Derek was immensely grateful for the music playing in the background to cover the random awkward silence that had fallen over them.

"Dean didn't say he was brothers with a giant." Isaac whispered.

"No he did not." Stiles agreed.

Dean ran into Sam's back when Sam stopped dead in his tracks when he saw all of them.

Cas coughed and Dean gave Sam a nudge to remind him to keep moving.

"Hey, everyone, this is my little brother, Sam. Sam this is-" Dean gestured with the beer in his hand. "Everyone."

"Hi." Sam said and cleared his throat. He held up a carrying dish in his hand. "I brought pie."

"Of course you did." Castiel sighed.

Introductions were made and if Derek was wrong, even Laura looked a little glazed when she looked up at Sam.

"Come on, let's eat." Dean said and they all sat at the table that had somehow made it from Dean and Cas' backyard to Derek and Stiles'.

"So, Sam," Cora said as she served herself a heap of macaroni and cheese, "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a lawyer." Sam said and shifted when everyone turned to him.

"He isn't one of the bottom feeders though." Dean was quick to add.

"Sam does a lot of pro bono work for the ACLU and other non profits. He also has his own practice." Castiel added and there was more than a hint of pride in his voice.

Laura clutched Derek's leg under the table. He had to pull her hand off his leg before her claws ruined his jeans.

"What about you?" Sam asked politely.

"I am a second grade teacher." Cora said.

"I am a counselor at the same school." Isaac said.

"I'm an author." Stiles added.

Sam turned to Laura and Derek.

"Oh, I save Stiles' life from menacing wildlife such as raccoons and whatnot." Derek said.

"I run a wolf preserve in Beacon Hills." Laura said.

"Wow." Sam said, a little breathlessly. "That's amazing."

"I assume you are talking about Laura's job." Derek said flatly.

Sam blushed.

Stiles patted his hand. "You'll always be my favorite Hale."

***

"What's that for?" Derek asked when he finally hung up the phone on Laura. She had given his minute details about her third date with Sam and he was swiftly becoming Derek's least favorite Winchester. Not because he was a bad guy or anything. No, in fact, in the three weeks since the barbecue, his respect for Sam had only grown.

But Laura never shut up about him.

Cora and Isaac were planning on getting some wolfsbane to use on her and even Talia sounded like she was considering using it.

"This is to thank Castiel for the thank you cupcakes for the last time you let Dean use the grill." Stiles said.

"But letting Dean use the grill was a thank you for him letting me use his weed whacker." Derek said.

"Yep." Stiles said as he continued to drizzle icing over his lemon drizzle cake.

"Which was a thank you for helping to plan Castiel's birthday party." Derek said.

"Uh huh."

"Which was a thank you for Dean helping me to put the guest bedroom furniture together."

"Yes, my love, my darling bundt cake, you are correct." Stiles hissed.

"So why are you thanking him for thanking us for thanking him for thanking us-"

"Derek, my love, my puddin' face, my darling werewolf, you are correct, once again but also I will not lose this arms race." Stiles snapped.

"What arms race?" Derek asked. "Where is my phone? I just put it down."

"This arms race of _niceness_." Stiles said. Satisfied with the cake he nodded to himself and stepped back. "Ok, I am taking it over. Do you want to go with?"

"Can't. I'm talking with Noriega in five about the pack negotiations in a few days." Derek said and spied his phone, on the other side of the room from him. He frowned.

"Ugh. Fine." Stiles said and scooped up the cake and made his way across their yard and into Dean and Cas'. They had given in to Stiles' idea of putting a small gate in between their fence.

Or rather, Stiles and Dean had done it and not asked for anyone's thoughts on the idea.

Stiles rang the doorbell and he heard laughter coming from inside and-

"Puppy?" Stiles said when Cas opened the door.

"No, I'm Castiel." He said seriously. But the small golden bundle in his hand said something otherwise.

"I have to hold him." Stiles whispered, his eyes on the dog.

"Is that ours?" Cas asked and eyed the cake in Stiles' hands.

"Yes."

"Trade?"

"Alright then."

Cas invited Stiles in for a slice even as Stiles kissed and cooed and cuddled the puppy in his arms. Dean came down the stairs, a phone to his ear and rolled his eyes when he saw Stiles on the floor, playing with Mud, the puppy. Cas fed him a piece of cake. Dean looked impressed.

"Yes, Sam. Laura is the most beautiful, magical, smartest human on this planet. I heard you the first seventeen times." Dean said, sounding tragically put out.

Stiles laughed from the floor. Mud licked his face.

Eventually Dean hung up and glared at Stiles. "This is all Derek's fault. If Laura wasn't his sister, I wouldn't have to listen to an hour of Shakespeare writing poems about Laura."

"I blame Talia and Thomas." Stiles said.

"Who's that?" Cas asked, now on his second piece of cake.

"Laura and Derek's parents. It's their genes that got you into this mess." Stiles said knowingly.

"Where is he? I want to pick a fight." Dean grumbled.

"He has some business call he had to take. He's going to Mexico to rescue a wolf from some people down there and he's setting it up." Stiles said.

"He can do that?" Dean asked.

"He owns equal share in the Preserve. Got the same training as Laura. He's magic with the wolves, believe me." Stiles said.

"Well, if you need anything when he's gone, don't hesitate to come over." Dean ordered.

Stiles saluted him.

***

"Do you want me to come home?" Derek asked. Even across the line, he sounded worried.

"I think I'm ok." Stiles said, not sounding terribly sure.

"I thought the runes would have stopped this." Derek said.

"No, I think it just trapped the spirit here." Stiles said and winced when he heard another door slam shut. "You will be here in the morning, right?"

"Fuck it. I'm leaving now, babe." Derek said.

"Ok." Stiles said in a small voice.

Ten hours away by car though, was still a very long way away.

"You got your salt?" Derek asked.

"And my crow bar." Stiles said.

"I could call Lydia? Scott?"

"Babe." Stiles breathed when he saw a rush of a figure come in through the hall. "Just hurry."

***

"So, not to be a worrywart, but is there something up at the Hales' house?" Linda Barnett asked Cas when he was out walking Mud.

"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?" Cas replied.

"Lights have been going on and off all night. I thought I heard Stiles yelling but Derek's gone for the week." Linda replied.

"Hm." Cas said and shook his head. "I'll check in on him."

She patted him on the cheek. "That's so good of you, Castiel. You have a good night."

"You too, Mrs. Barnett." Cas said over his shoulder as he and Mud hurried the rest of the way home.

As he made his way up the walk, Dean was making his way out the door. He had a shotgun in his hand and Cas shoved Mud into the house before he followed Dean over the fence.

The door was locked and when Dean pounded on it, they heard a yelp cut short.

Dean kicked the door in.

He didn't hesitate to shoot the figure running at him and it flew apart.

"Stiles?" Dean yelled. Cas hurried around Dean and felt the familiar weight of his angel blade in his hands. He headed for their bedroom and when he found Stiles, crumpled in the corner, he thought his heart was going to stop beating. Dean ran in after him.

Then Stiles groaned.

In the middle of the room was a broken circle of salt and goofer dust.

Dean and Cas exchanged a look.

"Behind you." Stiles groaned and Cas turned and swung and cut through the spirit. It exploded and Dean reached down and helped Stiles up.

"I knew you guys weren't entirely human." Stiles said and reached up to wince at the blood on the back of his head.

"You are literally married to an alpha werewolf. Let's talk truthfulness later." Dean said.

Stiles gasped. "You knew?"

"He's a Hale, Stiles. And fuck, you're a Stilinski. Of course we knew." Dean said as he dragged Stiles from the room.

The front door slammed shut on them but Cas was not going to spend the night with an angry spirit. He blew it apart.

"That's so cool." Stiles muttered. "Derek just goes through the doors."

***

By the time morning had rolled around, Sam had figured out who the ghost was, Dean had burned the remains, Stiles was tucked into their guest room, sound asleep, and Cas was boarding up the door.

Derek parked in the driveway haphazardly and ran up the drive.

"Stiles?" Derek asked Cas.

Cas gestured to their own house. Derek rushed over and barely paused when he saw Dean passed out on the couch and followed his nose to the back bedroom where Stiles was in bed. He opened his eyes when Derek came in.

"Rough night." Stiles reported. He had a black eye.

"Can we bring it back to life so I can kill it again?" Derek asked and swept his hands down Stiles' arms and up again.

"No, Dean super killed it. I think Laura is mad at you for setting her up with a hunter. No, with _the_ hunter. I think that's what she said. Dean and Cas knew who we were from the beginning. You have failed at being the apex predator."

"Oh, thank god you're ok." Derek said.

"It was just a pissed off ghost. Dean and Cas know the king of hell. That was a talking point." Stiles said philosophically. He yawned and held his hand out. "I've got a headache."

Derek took his hand and drained off the remaining ache in his head and watched him drift off. He flipped on the overhead fan and closed the door behind him and followed his ears to the kitchen.

Dean sat at the table, reading the newspaper. Cas was humming over the stove, flipping pancakes.

"Have you eaten?" Cas asked.

Derek shook his head.

"Come sit." Dean said. "Coffee is on the counter. Cream?" He gestured to the small container on the table.

Derek sat, almost slumped over. The long drive had grated on his nerves. He had called Scott in his haste and him and Lydia were on their way. They had called Cora and Isaac who were also on their way.

Cas put a stack of pancakes in front of him.

"I called... everyone." Derek said. He scrubbed his face.

Dean nodded. "Sam is on his way with Laura."

Derek put his head on the table and groaned. "She's mad at me."

"She's mad at _Sam_." Cas said and sat down.

"Who are you?" Derek asked and didn't move. "And thank you. For helping him."

"Sure thing, buddy." Dean said easily.

"As for your question," Cas chewed thoughtfully for a second. "Maybe let's wait until everyone is here. It's a long story and the three of us had parts in it."

"Eat." Dean said and nudged the pancakes at him. "It's going to be a long day and the ghost trashed your place."

***

By the time Laura and Sam arrived, the house was presentable, Stiles and Derek were showered, Lydia and Castiel were in deep discussion about some kind of math formula that no one else understood and Scott and Dean were barbecuing in the backyard. Isaac was napping in the sun and Cora was cooking something in the kitchen.

Laura stormed in and pushed past Cora and Lydia and made for Derek who was sitting on the bench outside near Dean and Scott. Derek put his beer down just in time to block the punch coming from Laura.

"How could you not _know_?" She snapped and her eyes were blazing gold.

"Well," Derek dodged another punch and blocked one more.

"Laura!" Cora said and stormed from the kitchen and into the backyard. She jumped on Laura's back but it barely slowed her down.

"You sent me out on a date with a hunter-" Laura snapped her teeth at Derek and Derek rolled his eyes, blocked her again and gently pushed her back.

"I didn't send you anywhere. You went out with Sam a bunch of times on your own." Derek pointed out.

"And you didn't know that he was a hunter!" She growled. "How many times are you going to put us in danger?"

Stiles, Scott, Isaac, and Cora all winced at her well aimed words.

Derek's eyes blazed red. "That's enough." He snarled and Cora even slid off Laura's back and went with Isaac when he pulled her back. "You were never in danger with Sam. Were you? And if you were, you are more than able to take care of yourself. I have gotten past what happened but you can't help but throw it in my face the _minute_ you start getting too close to someone like it's my fault."

He stared her down until Laura looked away.

"I'm your alpha but I'm not your keeper." Derek snapped.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Scott stop Dean from speaking.

"I've dealt with Kate and Jennifer. You deal with it now. I can't fight every fight for you." Derek finished and watched as she turned and stomped inside.

As she went in, Talia and Thomas came out. Derek turned and glared at Cora. She avoided his gaze and held her hands up in surrender. He could only guess she had told them what had happened.

"Oh, honey." Talia said and went to Stiles' side. She cupped his face in her hands and tilted it one way and the other. "Honey." She chided gently. "Why didn't you bless the house before you guys moved in?"

"We researched. No one had died here." Stiles said.

Thomas tutted next to Talia. "You are getting lazy in your old age."

Talia turned to Derek who growled but lowered his head to the hand that Talia pressed to his neck.

"She'll get over it." Talia said and kissed Derek's cheek. "You know how she is. She worries and expresses it very, very badly."

Derek nodded. "I know."

"Introduce me to your friends."

Derek turned to Dean and mouthed _Sorry_ but Dean was already grinning at Talia.

"Ma'am." He said and offered his hand. Talia batted it away and swept him up in a bone crushing hug.

Dean wheezed.

"Mom, he's human." Derek murmured.

"Thank you. I don't know what Derek would do without Stiles." Talia said.

Stiles made gagging sounds from near the porch. Cora smacked him. When Talia let go of Dean, Thomas stepped in and swept Dean up in an equally tight hug. Dean wheezed again.

"And you are Castiel." Talia said and approached Cas.

"Yes, ma'am." Cas said and he seemed... _shy_. Derek wanted to snort. Talia hugged him and Derek didn't bother to tell her to hold back.

"And you are?" Thomas asked when he turned to Sam.

"I'm Sam." He said and pushed his hair out of his face. "I am dating Laura. Was? I don't know. She's mad."

Thomas rolled his eyes. "She's a drama queen. Give her time. Let's eat, tell me what you do for a living so I can pretend to judge you. Can your brother cook?"

Sam snorted. "My brother can cook. Sometimes that's the only reason Cas sticks around."

"Hey!" Dean said.

They all gathered around the well used bench in the backyard and Talia took a plate in to Laura who was still pouting. Derek stared at his mother's back and almost stood before Stiles put a hand on his wrist. "Eat first. You'll feel better. Then go talk to her."

Derek hesitated and nodded before he returned to his food. When he was done he stood and went for the house.

He found Laura in the living room, pushing her food around on her plate. She looked up at him and then back down at her food.

Derek sat down next to her so that they were pressed from knee to hip to shoulder. She didn't move away.

"So." Laura said and cleared her throat. "This doesn't excuse anything and I am sorry that I said what I said but also-" She paused and pushed her food around again. "Um. I'm pregnant?"

Derek went completely still.

"Huh?" He finally said.

She nodded. "Yep. I just- Yep."

"Are you sure?" Derek said.

She nodded.

"Have you told anyone?" He whispered.

She shook her head.

"Ha." He said. He shook his head. "Wow." He looked out the big bay window and thought about bookshelves for some reason. "When did you know?"

"Just yesterday. I can hear the heartbeat." She said.

"You're kidding." He whispered.

Laura shook her head again. "But- also-"

"Why didn't you tell Sam right away?" Derek asked suddenly.

"Because you're my _alpha_." Laura said plaintively.

And then he saw everything so clearly. Pregnant by a hunter, unsure of their relationship, especially without Derek knowing who Sam really was...

It made sense. Now, more than ever, Laura was looking to Derek to lead her. To tell her what was ok, what was safe.

"Stand up." Derek whispered.

"Why?" She said.

"Please."

She did as he asked and he pressed an ear to her belly, still flat and unable to tell that she was pregnant.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pressed in a little harder and held Laura still. He could hear her breathe, her own heart, the rush of blood underneath her skin-

And there.

There it was.

"Oh my god." Derek whispered when the fluttering registered. "Oh my god, Laura."

"I know, right?" She said and there was a tremble in her voice.

"Um?" Sam said from the kitchen.

Derek opened his eyes and looked up at Sam standing there.

"Guys?" Sam asked. "Is um- is this a wolf thing?"

Cora poked her head in around him and looked at Derek on his knees in front of Laura. Her eyes flashed back and forth and then she was diving across the room and shoved Derek out of the way. She put her ear to Laura's belly and closed her eyes. A moment later she looked up at her sister. "Shut up." She whispered.

Laura nodded.

Cora jumped to her feet and squealed and hugged Laura. They both hauled Derek to his feet and drew him into a hug and then Cora pulled Sam in as well.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

Laura reached up and framed Sam's face in her hands. "Hey." She said softly and both Cora and Derek took a step back. "So, I'm pregnant."

"I- uh." Sam looked mystified and then shocked and then he sat down and then he stood up and then he wrapped his arms around Laura and then he sat down again. "Really?" He said.

Laura nodded. She bit her lip.

"I-" Sam seemed at a loss. "Wow. Yes." He nodded at her and she met his gaze, steady.

"Yeah?" She said.

 _"Hell_ yes." Sam said. Then he stood up and kissed her. "I have to go tell Dean. Can I tell Dean?"

"Tell everyone." Laura said and laughed when he kissed her again.

***

"So, how's this for bad timing?" Dean mused.

Three months later they were nearing Christmas. The tree was tucked in the corner. The presents were piled high and there were just as many presents for the Hales as there were for Winchesters.

Dean was tied to a chair and his mouth was bleeding.

Castiel was locked inside a ring of holy fire, pacing like a tiger caged as he stared out at the two hunters that had trapped him.

"I mean, seriously, four hours earlier and you wouldn't have been able to pull this off." Dean continued. "And if you hurt us and they find you-" Dean shook his head. "They'll be picking up pieces of you across three states."

"Your angel can't do much behind that circle." One man sneered.

"I'm not talking about him but you better pray for death before he figures a way out." Dean said and did not see the punch coming from the other guy.

"Who are you talking about?" The first guy asked. "Your brother is across the country with his wife. You don't have any friends except those weird neighbors of yours and they went to some kind of comic convention for the weekend. Who is going to be so mad about the death of Dean Winchester?"

"I would be slightly disappointed." Stiles said casually from the hall. The second guy turned and Stiles swung with all his might and hit the guy square in the chest with his baseball bat.

"I wouldn't approve." Erica said from the kitchen. Her eyes blazed and she laughed a little when the guy stood and took a few steps back.

"I would like to keep him around." Scott said as he circled into the living room.

"I think you need to check your sources." Laura said casually from the staircase. "Sam and I aren't going to New York until after the New Year."

"The convention was last weekend." Stiles added.

"I'm kind of hungry." Isaac said and snapped his teeth at the two guys as the pack circled them in tighter and tighter.

"Hold them there." Derek said softly from the front door. He got a pitcher of water from kitchen and broke the holy fire that was caging Castiel. Before he could blink, Cas was across the room, his angel blade buried in one guy's neck and the other guy, the one who spoke was pressed face first into the wall.

"A swift death is too good for you." Castiel murmured in his ear. "I am going to let them take you."

"There'll be more." The hunter threatened.

"And we'll be here." Derek said and took him from Castiel's hands. "We'll wait for them."


End file.
